Painting: Shelton Farmers' Market

By Katie Rader, 2006

The Shelton Farmers' Market at the corner of Canal and Cornell streets opened in 1993. At that time, the area was blighted from burned-out buildings and brownfields. Citizen and city administration interest focused on making the area attractive and useable. This painting shows the extent of area improvement and citizen use, as one example of downtown Shelton redevelopment.

All seventeen individuals shown in the painting were photographed while at the market. Not all the vendors are shown and not all the customers are identified by name. S. Guy Beardsley, Jr. writes “There are several family members shown, including my wife and myself, my daughter, one of my sons and a granddaughter and grandson.”

This original painting was donated to Plumb Memorial Library by S. Guy Beardsley, Jr. as a gift in memory of his mother. Constance A.G.K. Beardsley worked at Plumb Memorial Library from 1948 to 1977. Prints of this painting were also donated by Mr. Beardsley to Shelton City Hall, Shelton Economic Development Corporation and Connecticut Department of Agriculture, where they are on public display.